Apparatus and method for providing messaging services

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a voicemail device having a controller to detect a recording of a voicemail message, generate a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message, wherein the SIP message contains visual voicemail data associated with the recorded voicemail message, and transmit the SIP message to a cordless phone system, wherein the SIP message is received by the cordless phone system over a data port of the cordless phone system, wherein the cordless phone system comprises a base station and at least one cordless communications device, wherein the visual voicemail data is retrieved by the base station, and wherein the visual voicemail data is transmitted by the based station to the at least one cordless communications device by utilizing a cordless wireless access protocol. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/832,488, filed Aug. 21, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/836,248 filed Mar. 15, 2013, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,143,905, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/559,848 filed Sep. 15, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,433,044,the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to messaging services and morespecifically to an apparatus and method for providing messagingservices.

BACKGROUND

Often times users utilize voicemail and other messaging services toconvey messages to other users, particularly when the other users areunavailable. Various technologies such as answering machines,traditional dial-in voicemail, and visual voicemail can be utilized byusers to access voicemail messages and information associated with thevoicemail messages. Answering machines and traditional dial-in voicemailare generally not user-friendly and require users to access voicemailmessages in the order in which they were recorded. On the other hand,visual voicemail provides users with a greater level of informationabout their voicemail by adding a visual aspect to voicemail.Additionally, visual voicemail provides users with more functionalityand ways of interacting with the voicemail. For example, visualvoicemail can allow users to access messages out of order, pausemessages during playback, access information pertaining to thevoicemail, or even read transcripts of the voicemail as text.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal interacting withthe communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system for providingmessaging services, which can operate in portions of the communicationssystems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram for providing messaging services in thecommunication systems of FIGS. 1-2 and FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for providingmessaging services operating in portions of the communications systemsof FIGS. 1-2 and 5; and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a voicemail devicehaving a controller to detect a recording of a voicemail message,generate a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message, wherein the SIPmessage contains visual voicemail data associated with the recordedvoicemail message, and transmit the SIP message to a cordless phonesystem, wherein the SIP message is received by the cordless phone systemover a data port of the cordless phone system, wherein the cordlessphone system comprises a base station and at least one cordlesscommunications device, wherein the visual voicemail data is retrieved bythe base station, and wherein the visual voicemail data is transmittedby the base station to the at least one cordless communications deviceby utilizing a cordless wireless access protocol. Other embodiments aredisclosed.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a cordless phonesystem including one or more cordless communications devices, and a basestation communicatively coupled to the one or more cordlesscommunications devices using a cordless wireless access protocol,wherein the base station is operable to receive a SIP message whereinthe SIP message comprises visual voicemail data associated with arecorded voicemail message, retrieve the visual voicemail data from theSIP message, and transmit the visual voicemail data to the at least onecordless communications device using the cordless wireless accessprotocol.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail acomputer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions toreceive a request for an identifier associated with a voicemail messagefrom a phone system, wherein the phone system comprises a base stationand at least one cordless communications device, transmit the identifierassociated with the voicemail message to the phone system, wherein theidentifier is extracted by the base station, receive a request from thebase station for the voicemail message, wherein the message is requestedvia the identifier, and transmit the voicemail message to the cordlessphone system, wherein the voicemail message is transcoded duringtransmission of the voicemail message.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) broadcast mediasystem. The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO)110 with at least one super headend office server (SHS) 111 whichreceives media content from satellite and/or terrestrial communicationsystems. In the present context, media content can represent audiocontent, moving image content such as videos, still image content, orcombinations thereof. The SHS server 111 can forward packets associatedwith the media content to video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a networkof video head-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicastcommunication protocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast programs via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a common residential or commercial gateway). Theaccess network 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote control).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered interface technologies (such as coaxial or phone linewiring) or can operate over a common wireless access protocol. Withthese interfaces, unicast communications can be invoked between themedia processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media system forservices such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130 a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116 by way of a wireless access base station 117operating according to common wireless access protocols such as WirelessFidelity (WiFi), or cellular communication technologies (such as GSM,CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, and so on).

The first communication system 100 can also include a voicemail server135. The voicemail server 135 can be communicatively coupled to the ISPnetwork 132 and to communications devices such as wireless communicationdevice 116 via wireless access base station 117. Additionally, thevoicemail server can be communicatively coupled to base station 137 andcommunications device 139 via base station 137. The communicationsdevice 139 can be a cordless telephone or other similar communicationsdevice. Notably, the voicemail server 135 can be configured to detect,manage, and process voicemail messages, voicemail data associated withthe voicemail messages, and/or other types of content and data. Thevoicemail server 135 can also be configured to transmit notificationmessages to the base station 137 based upon a triggering event. Forexample, if a new voicemail message is detected by the voicemail server135, the voicemail server 135 can transmit a notification indicating thearrival of the message to the base station 137.

Another distinct portion of the computing devices 130 can function as aserver (herein referred to as server 130). The server 130 can use commoncomputing and communication technology to perform the function ofdistributing data content, messaging content, and/or other types ofcontent to various devices in the system 100. Notably, the server 130can be configured to communicatively link to the VM server 135, basestation 137, and to gateway 104 via the access network 118. The server130 can also be configured to relay messages and data transmitted fromthe voicemail server 135 to the base station 137 and/or to otherauthorized devices in the system 100 and messages and data transmittedfrom the base station 137 to the voicemail server 135.

It will be appreciated by an artisan of ordinary skill in the art that asatellite broadcast television system can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115supplying media content can be intercepted by a common satellite dishreceiver 131 coupled to the building 102. Modulated signals interceptedby the satellite dish receiver 131 can be submitted to the mediaprocessors 106 for generating broadcast channels which can be presentedat the media devices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped witha broadband port to the ISP network 132 to enable infrastructureservices such as VoD and EPG described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital broadcast distributionsystem such as cable TV system 133 can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system described above. In this embodiment the cable TV system 133can provide Internet, telephony, and interactive media services.

It follows from the above illustrations that the present disclosure canapply to any present or future interactive over-the-air or landlinemedia content services.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 200 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith communication system 100 as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 100.

Communication system 200 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)240, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 230, and other commonnetwork elements of an IMS network 250. The IMS network 250 canestablish communications between IMS compliant communication devices(CD) 201, 202, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 203, 205,and combinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function(MGCF) 220 coupled to a PSTN network 260.

IMS CDs 201, 202 can register with the IMS network 250 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with acorresponding Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with at the HSS240. To initiate a communication session between CDs, an originating IMSCD 201 can submit a SIP INVITE message to an originating P-CSCF 204which communicates with a corresponding originating S-CSCF 206. Theoriginating S-CSCF 206 can submit queries to the ENUM system 230 totranslate an E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITE to a SIP UniformResource Identifier (URI) if the terminating communication device is IMScompliant.

The SIP URI can be used by an Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 207 to submita query to the HSS 240 to identify a terminating S-CSCF 214 associatedwith a terminating IMS CD such as reference 202. Once identified, theI-CSCF 207 can submit the SIP INVITE to the terminating S-CSCF 214. Theterminating S-CSCF 214 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 216associated with the terminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 then signals theCD 202 to establish communications.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such asreferences 203 or 205, the ENUM system 230 can respond with anunsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originating S-CSCF206 to forward the call to the MGCF 220 via a Breakout Gateway ControlFunction (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 can then initiate the call to theterminating PSTN CD by common means over the PSTN network 260.

The aforementioned communication process is symmetrical. Accordingly,the terms “originating” and “terminating” in FIG. 2 are interchangeable.It is further noted that communication system 200 can be adapted tosupport video conferencing by way of common protocols such as H.323. Inaddition, communication system 200 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs201, 203 the multimedia and Internet services of communication system100.

The server 130 and the VM server 135 of FIG. 1 can be operably coupledto the second communication system 200 for purposes similar to thosedescribed above.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal 302 which canoperate from the computing devices 130 described earlier ofcommunication 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The portal 302 can be used formanaging services of communication systems 100-200. The portal 302 canbe accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with a common Internetbrowser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer™ using an Internet-capablecommunication device such as those described for FIGS. 1-2. The portal302 can be configured, for example, to access a media processor 106 andservices managed thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a VoDcatalog, an EPG, a personal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures,audio recordings, etc.) stored in the media processor, provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the communication devices of FIGS. 1-2. Thecommunication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a location receiver 416, and a controller 406 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi,Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellularcommunication technologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologiescan include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE,EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, and next generation cellular wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 402 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCPIP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, joystick, mouse, ornavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 400 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric dialing keypad commonly used by phones, and/or aQwerty keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include adisplay 410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 400. Inan embodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion or allof the keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 412 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 412 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 404 can further include an image sensor 413 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. The location receiver 416 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver for identifying a location of the communication device400 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites,thereby facilitating common location services such as navigation.

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi or Bluetooth access point bycommon power sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA) or timeof flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computing technologiessuch as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and/or avideo processor with associated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM,SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 500 for providingmessaging services, the system operable in portions of the communicationsystems of FIGS. 1-2. The system 500 can include a communications device502, which can be configured to include a cellular phone and/or alandline phone. The communication device 502 may can be a frame, atablet with a touch-sensitive display, or other similar device. Thecommunication device 502 can be configured to support DECT, WiFi, andother protocols. Notably, the communication device 502 can becommunicatively coupled to a base station, such as base station 506, byutilizing DECT and WiFi air interfaces. Additionally, one or morecordless handsets 504 can also be communicatively coupled to the basestation 506 using the DECT or other similar protocols.

The base station 506 can include communication technology forcommunicatively interfacing to a PSTN, VoIP, or IMS network such asthose described earlier, such as in communication system 100. Also, thebase station 506 can be coupled to a data modem such as anInternet/router modem 508 for communicatively linking to the ISP network132 and the VM server 135 of communication system 100. In an embodiment,the base station 506 and other devices in the system 500 and system 100can be configured to communicate by utilizing web services. The basestation 506 can provide the cordless handsets 504 with voicecommunications services, and the communication device 502 a combinationof voice and data communication services. The communication device 502and cordless handsets 504 can be equipped with common camera sensors 510(such as CCD sensors) which can enable these devices to support videocommunication services and capture still images and/or pictures.

Operatively, the base station 506 can be configured to receive one ormore SIP messages from the VM server 135 via the ISP network 132. TheSIP message can include visual voicemail data, which can be associatedwith a recorded and/or detected voicemail message. The voicemail messagecan be an audible message or other message produced by a caller, whichis intended for at least one of the communications device 502 and thecordless handsets 504. In an embodiment, the SIP message can be relayedby a SIP Proxy/Registrar from the VM server 135 to the base station 506.Once the SIP message is received by the base station 506, the basestation 506 can extract the visual voicemail data from the SIP message.The extracted visual voicemail data can then be transmitted tocommunications device 502 and/or cordless handsets 504 by using awireless protocol such as DECT, WiFi, and/or Personal Handy-phone System(PHS).

In an embodiment, the VM server 135 can be configured to receive arequest for the voicemail message from the base station 506. Uponreceiving the request, the VM server 135 can transmit the voicemailmessage to the base station 506, which can relay the voicemail messageto the communications device 502 and/or the cordless handsets 504.During transmission of the voicemail to the base station 506 or prior totransmission of the voicemail to the base station 506, the VM server 135and/or the server 130 can be configured to transcode the voicemailmessage from one format to a format that can be utilized by the basestation 506, communications device 502, and/or the cordless handsets504. For example, the VM server and/or the server 130 can be configuredto transcode the voicemail message from a G.711 format to a G.726format.

Referring now also to FIG. 6, a flow diagram for providing messagingservices in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2 and FIG. 5 isillustratively shown. The flow diagram illustrates a voicemail server602, which can correlate to VM server 135, which can relay SIP messagesand voicemail messages through a communications network 604. Thecommunications network 604 can be configured to transmit the SIPmessages and/or the voicemail messages to the base station 606, such asbase station 506, which can then forward the messages to acommunications 608 device operably coupled to the base station 606.Similarly, the base station 606 can make requests on behalf of thecommunications device 608 and transmit the requests to the voicemailserver 602 via the communications network 604.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative method 700 for providing messagingservices that operates in portions of the communication system of FIGS.1-2 and FIG. 5. Method 700 can begin with step 702 in which a voicemailserver, such as VM server 135, can detect a recording of a voicemailmessage. The voicemail message can include audio content, video content,a combination of audio and video content, and/or other types of content.The voicemail message itself can be generated by a caller for arecipient, particularly when the intended recipient of the voicemailmessage is unavailable for direct communication. Once the voicemailserver has detected a recording of a voicemail message, the voicemailserver can generate a SIP message at step 704.

The SIP message can include visual voicemail data associated with therecorded voicemail message. The visual voicemail data can include one ormore of a caller identification number, a recording time of thevoicemail message, an identity of a caller of the voicemail message, anda duration time for the voicemail message. For example, the visualvoicemail data can include a phone number such as “321-411-1212,” whichwas generated by “Bob Smith” at 6:42 P.M. The visual voicemail data canalso indicate that the duration of Bob Smith's voicemail message, whichin this case can be three minutes long. Of course the voicemail dataassociated with the recorded voicemail message can include otherinformation associated with the voicemail message and is not limited tothe above listing.

At step 706, the voicemail server can transmit the generated SIP messageto a cordless phone system over a data port of the cordless phonesystem. The cordless phone system can include one or more cordlesshandsets, such as cordless handsets 504, a base station, such as basestation 506, and one or more communications devices, such ascommunications device 502, which can be a touch-screen computing tabletor a frame. In an embodiment, the data port can be an Internet data portor other similar port. Once the SIP message is received by the cordlessphone system, the base station can retrieve the visual voicemail dataand/or other data associated with a voicemail message from the SIPmessage at step 708.

At step 710, the base station can transmit the retrieved voicemail datato at least one of a cordless handset and a tablet/frame included in thecordless phone system. Notably, the base station can transmit theretrieved voicemail data to the cordless handset using a cordlesswireless access protocol such as DECT. The base station can transmit thevoicemail data to the frame/table using DECT and/or WiFi. In anembodiment, the base station can utilize PHS to transmit the voicemaildata to the cordless communications devices. A user of the cordlesshandset and/or the tablet/frame can then view the visual voicemail datasuch as through a software application or other means.

At step 712, the user of the cordless handset and/or the frame can causethe handset or the frame to transmit a request to the voicemail serverfor the voicemail message via the base station. The voicemail serverupon receiving the request from the cordless phone system can transmitthe voicemail message to the cordless phone system at step 714. Notably,during transmission of the voicemail message or prior to transmission ofthe voicemail message, the voicemail server can transcode the voicemailmessage from one format to a format that can be utilized by the cordlessphone system. For example, the voicemail server can transcode from aG.711 format to a G.726 format and the transcoding can performed inreal-time. In an embodiment, the voicemail server can either transmitthe voicemail message as a stream or as a progressive download to thecordless phone system.

At step 716, the cordless phone system can determine whether or not thevoicemail message was received. If not, the base station can retransmita request for the voicemail message to the server. The server can repeatstep 714 by transcoding and transmitting the voicemail message tocordless phone system. Once the voicemail message is received by thecordless phone system, the cordless handset and/or the frame can playthe voicemail message for the user at step 718. The voicemail data canbe displayed to the user during playback of the voicemail message aswell. In one embodiment, the voicemail message can be stored at thecordless phone system for future use.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, in an embodiment, theSIP message can be triggered to be sent by the voicemail server eachtime a user logs out of their voicemail mailbox, their voicemail messagecount falls to zero, and/or when a new voicemail message arrives. Ofcourse, other triggering events are contemplated as well and theinvention is not to be limited to the examples provided above. Forexample, SIP messages can be sent according to a selected schedule suchas every four hours. The SIP message can also provide status informationpertaining to the user's voicemail box.

In an embodiment, the methods above and the operation of the systemsabove can be further modified. In particular, the retrieval of thevoicemail message can be supplemented as follows. The base station ofthe cordless phone system can be configured to utilize a web service orother program to retrieve an identifier associated with a voicemailmessage from the voicemail server. For example, the identifier can be aUniform Resource Identifier (URI) such as a URL. Upon receiving therequest, the voicemail server can transmit the identifier associatedwith the voicemail message to the base station. The base station canthen be utilized to request the voicemail message from the voicemailserver by utilizing the identifier. The voicemail server can thenproceed to transcode and transmit the voicemail message to the cordlessphone system.

In one embodiment, the operative functions of the voicemail server 135can be split up amongst one or more other servers. In anotherembodiment, the communications devices 502 and 504 can employ a 300millisecond delay loop to reduce Internet jitter of the played voicemessage. Also, the voicemail server can be configured to transcode thevoicemail messages with an average latency per message of less than 100milliseconds. The messages can be played to the user of thecommunications devices 502 and 504 as it is received from the 300millisecond delay loop/buffer to reduce skipping.

In another embodiment, the base station can be configured to update calllogs stored on the base station by utilizing a web service or otherprogram. For example, the base station can remove entries from the calllog, add entries to the call log, and/or flag entries in the call log.In yet another embodiment, the cordless phone system can initiate aregistration sequence, which can involve pressing a voicemail icon onthe display of the communications devices 502 or 504, which can causethe devices to display a request for user input for a telephone numberand a personal identification number (PIN). The user can input thetelephone number and the PIN into the communications device and thecommunications device can add the telephone number and PIN to SimpleObject Access Protocol (SOAP) headers utilized during communicationbetween the cordless phone system and the voicemail server.

The voicemail server can analyze the telephone number and PIN and canvalidate the inputs. If the phone number and PIN are incorrect, theserver can request the user to re-enter the PIN and phone number orallow the user to cancel the process. If the phone number and PIN arecorrect, the user can log into their voicemail box. In an embodiment, avisual voicemail state can be set to “inactive” or “active” status onthe base station. In the active state, it can allow for two-waycommunication between the base stations to access the voicemail server.In another embodiment, the cordless phone system and/or the voicemailserver can allow the user to update their telephone number and PINcombination.

In one embodiment, when a voicemail is unread by the user, thecommunications devices can display an icon in a missed call logindicating that there is an unread message. Additionally, the cordlessphone system can provide other features regarding the user's voicemailbox. For example, the cordless phone system can display a list of allvoicemail messages of the user, allow the user to use a touch screen toopen and listen to a voicemail message, and/or enable the user tointeract with and/or edit the messages. The user can also be allowed todelete messages whether they are read or unread. In another embodiment,when a voicemail message is selected by the user from the server's inboxor the call log of the base station, a one-click visual control can beprovided to access the visual voicemail data. Also, other visual mediacontrols can be provided so that the user can interact with thevoicemail messages.

Other suitable modifications can be applied to the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of the claims below. Accordingly, thereader is directed to the claims section for a fuller understanding ofthe breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 800 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, the machine operatesas a standalone device. In some embodiments, the machine may beconnected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 800 may include a processor 802 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 804 and a static memory 806, which communicate with each othervia a bus 808. The computer system 800 may further include a videodisplay unit 810 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, asolid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system800 may include an input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 814 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 816, a signal generationdevice 818 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 820.

The disk drive unit 816 may include a machine-readable medium 822 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 824)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 824may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 804, the static memory 806, and/or within the processor 802during execution thereof by the computer system 800. The main memory 804and the processor 802 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 824, or that which receives and executes instructions 824from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 826 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 826 using the instructions 824. Theinstructions 824 may further be transmitted or received over a network826 via the network interface device 820.

While the machine-readable medium 822 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape;and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of amachine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract of the Disclosureis provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), requiring an abstractthat will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of thetechnical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that itwill not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:transmitting a session initiation protocol message in response to atriggering event, the session initiation protocol message includingstatus information associated with a voicemail message to a cordlessphone system, wherein the cordless phone system retrieves the statusinformation from the session initiation protocol message forpresentation at a display; receiving a request for the voicemail messagefrom the cordless phone system, the request comprising a uniformresource identifier associated with the voicemail message; transcodingthe voicemail message to generate a transcoded voicemail messageincluding a format compatible with the cordless phone system; andtransmitting the transcoded voicemail message to the cordless phonesystem.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises aplurality of processors operating in a distributed processingenvironment, and wherein the operations further comprise generating thesession initiation protocol message responsive to detecting a recordingof the voicemail message.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein thetriggering event is detecting recording of the voicemail message.
 4. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the session initiation protocol messagefurther includes visual voicemail data.
 5. The device of claim 1,wherein the cordless phone system communicates using a digital enhancedcordless telecommunications protocol.
 6. The device of claim 1, whereinthe voicemail message includes an audible recording of a caller.
 7. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the transcoded voicemail message istransmitted to the cordless phone system as a stream.
 8. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the status information includes a caller identificationnumber, a recording time of the voicemail message, an identity of acaller of the voicemail message, a duration time for the voicemailmessage, or any combination thereof.
 9. The device of claim 1, whereinthe voicemail message is transcoded from a G.711 format to a G.726format.
 10. A method, comprising: generating, by a system comprising aprocessor, a session initiation protocol message including statusinformation associated with a voicemail message; transmitting, by thesystem, the session initiation protocol message to a cordless phonesystem in response to a triggering event; receiving, by the system, arequest for the voicemail message from the cordless phone system, therequest comprising a uniform resource identifier associated with thevoicemail message; transcoding, by the system, the voicemail message togenerate a transcoded voicemail message comprising a format compatiblewith the cordless phone system; and transmitting, by the system, thetranscoded voicemail message to the cordless phone system.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the processor comprises a plurality ofprocessors operating in a distributed processing environment, whereinthe cordless phone system retrieves the status information from thesession initiation protocol message for presentation at a display. 12.The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the session initiationprotocol message is responsive to detecting the triggering event, thetriggering event comprising recording of the voicemail message.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the session initiation protocol messagefurther includes visual voicemail data.
 14. The method of claim 10,wherein the cordless phone system communicates using a digital enhancedcordless telecommunications protocol.
 15. The method of claim 10,wherein the transcoded voicemail message is transmitted to the cordlessphone system as a stream.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the statusinformation includes a caller identification number, a recording time ofthe voicemail message, an identity of a caller of the voicemail message,a duration time for the voicemail message, or any combination thereof.17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprisingexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitateperformance of operations, comprising: detecting a triggering event;transmitting a session initiation protocol message to a cordless phonesystem responsive to the detecting the triggering event, wherein thesession initiation protocol message includes status informationassociated with a voicemail message; receiving a request for thevoicemail message from the cordless phone system, the request comprisinga uniform resource identifier associated with the voicemail message;transcoding the voicemail message to generate a transcoded voicemailmessage including a format compatible with the cordless phone system;and transmitting the transcoded voicemail message to the cordless phonesystem.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim17, wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operatingin a distributed processing environment.
 19. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operationsfurther comprise generating the session initiation protocol messageresponsive to the detecting the triggering event, wherein the triggeringevent comprises detecting recording of the voicemail message.
 20. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein thecordless phone system communicates using a digital enhanced cordlesstelecommunications protocol.